The Home advocate. (Farmerville, La.) 1885-1???, 1887-06-10
LONGSHORE EPISODE.


Sue and spent our vacation at Connors
Landing. almost thought it was kis-
met, as those picturesque orientals say,
only l do not approve of fatalism.
Wewere country school-ma'ams, Sue
and /, from region Of mountain farms,
where, according to report, the farmers
stood on ladders to harvest their crops, SO
steep and rugged were the fields. and we
had decided for months that our holiday
should be spent within reach of the
innumcrable tongues of the many voiced
sea.
At least, that is what said, for am an
aesthetic young woman with a yearning
for Culture-with big C-but Sue said
she wanted to study up the personal hab-
its of clans and fiddler crabs. and all sorts
of dreadful Shiny creatures. Sue was not
very poetic in her tendencies. and She
used to pore over Darwin and Lubbock.
though l often thought she might have
more improving instructors than men who
were so familiar with worms and ants. |
wouldn't say 50 much about ants, since
our good DR.. Watts found them worthy
of notice, but l think a man of genius
should draw the line at earth worms.
Well, you may think it easy to find a
seaside resort good enough for two school
ma'ams, considering our length of coast,
but the more we thought of the matter
the lmpre puzzled we becamsasl wiring a
few marine .6n1h T&: and ballads. and
thing, ior NY projected book &c Ballads
and Other Poems, by Mountain
Singer'-and Sue said she didn't want to
be interrupted by any tiresome children
or idiotic young men when she was en-
deavoring to gain the confidence of a
cephalopod.
You may think from her biological
warnings that Sue was an emancipated
female of the most virulent type, but she
was tall and graceful girl of twenty
three, her small head crowned with
bronzy brown hair, and her oval face
lighted by dark gray eyes that were in
cisive, tender, and appealing by turns.
We never arrived at decision about
our destination until we had started on
our journey. We were waiting in the
railway station-onc of those gruesome
barn-like structures our country delights
in, where gaudy Autographs confuse the
brain of the traveller, until he is uncer-
for Capadura, or take the airline route
from Nova Scotia to Neuragine. We
had decided to try Squid's Neck-at least
Sue had, as she thought the name rather
promising, but, woman-like, we missed
our train, and found there was no way of
reaching that place until evening
A syhpathetic gatcman suggested our
going to COnnOr's Landing, there to hire
q carriage and drive to Squid's Neck, a
distance of six or eight miles. Before
reaching Connors Landing we asked a
= { Gsy,i judicial questions Of a mild-man
ton. Finding that It Was Wa on a large
estuary opening into the sea, possessed of
4 good beach, and secluded in the ex-
IRENE, we resolved to make it our camp
ing ground, instead of the zoologically-
named Squads neck.
shall never forget the brakeman's
look of plying surprise when asked
him if the beach was sandy.
''Marm," he said, impressively. 'the
folks down there what plants anything
besides oysters would thank you con-
siderable if you could point out square
foot of land anywhere what amt sandy,
and the meanest kind O. sand at that"
With this discouraging statement,
which we soon verified, he left us.
On arriving at the Landing, we soon
made arrangements for our temporary
home, and evening found us domiciled
with Aunt Jane Apologize.
Connor's Landing does not appear on
any map nor is it the subject of guide
book eulogy-it is shy, shrinking from
publicity, like
Sweet Auburn, loveliest village Of the plain.
Apart from its shrinking modesty, how
ever, it differs widely from the poets vii
lage. 1t is on the bank of broad estuary,
where the fiat beach, not silvery sand or
single, but melancholy and uncompro-
missing black mud, is bordered by a weary
length of fiat salt meadow, this dimly re-
licved by background of rugged and
careworn pines.
And the natives, we found, are singu-
larly in harmony with their surround
ings. They are Aborigines; as Aphrodite
sprang from the sea-foam they developed
from the river mud, equipped for their
calling with boat hook and pair of
oyster longs Their lank forms suggest
amossbunky diet-the mossbunker is sill
very but deceptive little wretch of the
herring tribe, containing no more real
nourishment than a newspaper on toast.
The Connor's Landingite does not feel
himself in full dress without knitted
jersey, overlapping in folds like rhino-
ceros hide, and tarpaulin hat, possess
ing rear extension like sugar scoop,
this headgear being technically known as
sou'wester. 1t is an interesting question
to the thoughtful student, whether the
native has been gradually evolved from
the oyster, primeval lord of the soil, or
whether the oyster has been developed |
by the retrogression of the native.
After nights rest in big, bare.
d.owsy chamber, with the soft wash-wash |
of the waves below our windows, we de- |
scendcd to our breakfast, to find Aunt
Jane and Cordy. her daughter, awaiting
us. The master Of the house, we learned,
had staredon an early fishing expedition
with the other boardcr. of whose exist
cnce we now learned for the first time
He was Il young man, Mrs. Applegate
told us. whereat Sues brow displayed a
portentous frown. which was not entirely
away when Aunt Jane sup
plicd us with an omclettc and an outline
of the young man together.
ale amt one of the regular summer